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Nintendo Wii U to Stand up against PS4, Xbox 720
Nintendo is scheduled to release the Wii U, its next-generation video game console, in time for this year’s holiday season. This gives it a substantial lead time against any next-generation competitors from either Sony or Microsoft, both of which haven’t announced the successors to their PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
This is both an opportunity and a risk for Nintendo. On one hand, the extra year or so before the first real competition starts hitting store shelves could allow its third-party partners to develop a compelling software library as a buffer against whatever new hardware either Microsoft or Sony could bring into play. On the other hand, the newer consoles may simply bring more to the table than what Nintendo expects.
For his part, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has expressed confidence that his company’s newest offering would be a viable performer in the market for a long time. He touted the Wii U’s “great graphics,” “robust online execution” and good third-party support.
In the same vein, he expressed confidence on the Wii U’s ability to compete well against any successors to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Fils-Aime didn’t give a blanket statement of confidence, but suggested that Nintendo could adjust its approach depending on what Microsoft’s and Sony’s next-generation consoles would bring to the table.
Nintendo’s Wii U is due to hit store shelves first in the United States on November 18, in Europe on November 30 and in its native Japan on December 8. In America, pre-orders of the new console disappeared almost immediately, and rights to get launch-day units are already selling for a substantial amount higher than the $300/$350 list price.


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What Makes HERE Different From Other Map Platforms?
The digital navigation platform’s German auto company backers are also encouraging additional investors from other industries — but that doesn’t mean Microsoft or Amazon will have a piece of HERE.
In the nine months since digital map platform HERE was acquired for $3 billion by a trio of German carmakers (Audi, BMW, Daimler), the former Nokia property has been sharpening its focus on offline mapping to both differentiate itself from other mapmakers as well as keep up with the needs of “on-demand” app users and businesses.
Kirk Mitchell, vice president for Consumer, Sales & Business Development at HERE (photo above), offered his take on what the company is thinking about as it plots its product roadmap and continues to draw interest from outside investors.
GeoMarketing: HERE is a digital mapping pioneer. Now with last summer’s acquisition by German automotive companies can HERE’s identity be divided into three parts? Or has the identity of the company — what it does and who it serves — been largely the same throughout?
Kirk Mitchell: Our mission at HERE remains the same — to serve as an open location cloud accessible to all customers, in and out of the automotive industry, who want to leverage the power of location. There is a big opportunity to address the challenges of mobility – and it centers on data. By harnessing data in the right way, HERE can build advanced services that reduce congestion, ensure safer roads, and help improve the quality of life of people living in cities.
How has it changed in the last six months?
What has changed is that HERE is exploring incorporating anonymized data from Audi, BMW and Daimler vehicles to further advance its plans to deliver real-time maps. With our platform enhanced by data from multiple sources, HERE will be able to accelerate the development of the next generation map needed for automated driving, as well as further enhance the quality of its maps, products and services for other customers and consumers.
What is HERE’s current focus now? Is it on the ability to power self-driving cars? Or are there other projects that can be mentioned?
HERE enables rich, real-time location applications and experiences for consumers, vehicles, enterprises and cities. Our HD Live Map allows self-driving cars to see beyond the reach of their sensors. Our location platform is powering road hazard warning pilots. We’re providing HERE content and location-based services to developers to power their applications. We’re partnering with Samsung to power apps and experiences from third party developers on Samsung Connect Auto. Meanwhile, departments of transportation around the U.S. use our traffic services.
Most consumers take online maps for granted and can’t tell the difference between, say, Google Maps, Apple Maps, MapQuest, not to mention the maps powered by HERE. Do you agree with that? How should consumers — and brands — evaluate the online maps they use?
We believe truly offline maps via our HERE Maps app on Android and iOS are a significantly differentiator from other map providers. (Just check out our HERE 360 blog post on the topic.)
How has the rise of on-demand app-based services like Uber and Postmates, which depend very heavily on location accuracy, impacted the work that HERE does?
Location is so fundamental to the on-demand economy, and HERE can help new start-ups to think about building their business instead of focusing on whether their latest deliveries made it on time. To be able to deliver a parcel from place A to place B, you need to know where both places are, the most efficient way to get there and what your estimated time of arrival will be.
This is what we are already aggregating and we’re bringing this intelligence into all our services. We also see that as a large percentage of the ride sharing journeys start from large venues (such as airports, malls and stadiums), there is an opportunity to leverage the Venue Maps offering from HERE, where we have mapped in detail many of the country’s venues. We really see ourselves as basically doing all the heavy lifting under the hood so companies can build on-demand services on top.
Is there anything you can say about the current rumors about Amazon and Microsoft possibly investing in HERE?
While I cannot comment on any talks between the consortium of car companies that acquired us in early December and Amazon or Microsoft, what I can say is that our shareholders have stressed since the acquisition that they are open to additional investors from all industries.
Are there any particular initiatives or geospatial issues that HERE is otherwise likely to be focused on for the remainder of the year?
Digital Transportation Infrastructure (DTI) is a new initiative, powered by our Location Cloud, that we are going to introducing in pilots in Europe and the US this year. The pilots are Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), where HERE analyzes, verifies and validates traffic and road hazard data in real-time, and distributes the results to nearby vehicles via the cellular network, warning drivers immediately. Simultaneously, the results are sent to a traffic management center, which can react to upcoming situations in real- time, ensuring safe and efficient driving. Our first pilot in Finland will start in a couple weeks. We have another slated to begin in Colorado shortly, and we are in discussions with other countries and states.

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Briefly: PC Gamer has posted a comprehensive multi-page guide which explains everything from anti-aliasing types to anisotropic filtering and texture quality, with plenty of example images and even some benchmark statistics. Head over here to check it out.
Want To Know More About All Those Graphics Options PC Games Have?
Trending Stories Right Now
You just bought a Nintendo Switch, or maybe a Switch Lite. Now it’s time to figure out what games you want to play. We’ve got you covered.
Today 2K Games announced the formation of a new studio called Cloud Chamber to work on the next BioShock, a game that’s still a few years out from release according to the publisher.


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MONTEREY, CA (BRAIN)—The Bicycle Leadership Conference, April 13-15 in Monterey, CA, has already drawn more retail attendees than in any of the past four years, including seven REI staff members.
A promotional mailing to 2,000 stores this week in partnership with Bicycling Magazine will surely raise the number further.
Jeff Selzer, general manager of Palo Alto Bicycles, has attended the BLC the past three years, and is signed on again for 2010. "I get insight into the industry I could never get at Interbike or from talking to fellow dealers.
"It's a sneak peek into what my suppliers are thinking for 2012 and beyond," Selzer added. "Not on the product, but more the state of the industry. The insights I get at BLC have really helped me make better long-range plans for the store."


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Britain 'could be put on curfew with bars and restaurants closing at 10pm' amid coronavirus spike
9 September 2020, 10:07 | Updated: 9 September 2020, 16:44
Ministers are said to be considering a nationwide curfew, similar to recent measures introduced in Bolton.
Britain could be put under 'curfew' with some hospitality businesses told to shut at 10pm, reports have claimed.
According to the Telegraph, Ministers are considering introducing a nationwide 'curfew' - which could see bars and restaurants asked to close between 10pm and 5am.
Read More: What are the new lockdown rules in England
This measure was recently introduced in Bolton, Greater Manchester, after a spike of coronavirus cases in the area.
The report comes as social gatherings of more than six people in England are set to be banned.
From Monday (14 September), people who mix in larger groups - both indoors and outdoors - could be subject to a £100 fine, doubling up to as high as £3,200 for repeat offences.
It will not apply to workplaces, Covid-secure weddings, schools, funerals and organised team sports.
There are exemptions to the rule, with households and support bubbles of over six people not included.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said of the new rule: "We need to act now to stop the virus spreading. So we are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact - making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce.
"It is absolutely critical that people now abide by these rules and remember the basics - washing your hands, covering your face, keeping space from others, and getting a test if you have symptoms."


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It joins traditional e-commerce logistics options, so that SMEs, merchants and entrepreneurs can boost their sales
In this context of quarantine, the Correo Argentino relaunches its Paq.ar service, a parcel service with deliveries throughout the country, so that SMEs, merchants and entrepreneurs can boost their online sales.
For it, In addition to traditional e-commerce logistics options, a new Pickup service in the main points of the country with special rates.
Those who make it, will not have shipping limits. Likewise, each package may have a maximum weight of up to 25 kg, and the maximum measurements are 250 cm, adding all the sides (the maximum being 150 cm), and they can be shipped throughout the country.
Paq.ar is available on the Correo Argentino institutional website, accessed through Mi Correo, online self-management portal that allows you to make shipments with 24-hour tracking and that has specialized support.
Despite the health challenges we face around the world, the company remains committed to serving Argentines. Both the safety of their customers and employees remains their top priority, as they provide the essential service of delivering your mail every day.
Find out the latest on digital economy, startups, fintech, corporate innovation and blockchain. CLICK HERE


text: Mainland commercial property developer Soho China yesterday posted a 60 per cent drop in core earnings last year because of a lack of completed projects. Turnover plunged 69 per cent to 5.68 billion yuan (HK$6.96 billion) from 18.22 billion yuan in 2010. Core earnings fell to 1.42 billion yuan from 3.51 billion yuan as only 100,315 square metres of floor area were sold during the year, 75 per cent less than the previous year. The drop was cushioned by a 27 per cent increase in average selling price. Attributable profit rose 7 per cent to 3.89 billion yuan from 3.64 billion yuan. 'It is the first time our company has failed to meet our sales target since we listed [in Hong Kong] five years ago,' chairman Pan Shiyi said. The company had a sales target of about 20 billion yuan for last year. 'We did not have new project releases when the property market was active in the first half of last year,' said Sharon Tong Ching-mau, the company's chief financial officer. 'We only started launching our projects in July.' However, the company remains confident of achieving its sales target of 23 billion yuan for this year as it has projects worth 24 billion yuan available for sale. It expects to obtain sale permits for two more projects in the second half of the year. Pan said the sales market was improving as liquidity controls had started to loosen. 'Our sales reached 380 million yuan last month from about 70 million yuan in January,' he said. 'We have also raised the selling price of our projects by 2 per cent this month. 'If sales remain strong this month, we will raise the price by a further 2 per cent next month.' Last year, the company recorded contract sales of 10.91 billion yuan at an average of 58,649 yuan per square metre. It also spent 15.38 billion yuan on land acquisitions. During the year, Soho bought assets from companies which began selling in the face of tighter lending policies. It believes there will be more acquisition opportunities this year and plans to spend 10 billion yuan acquiring development projects. Net profit margin climbed to 25 per cent from 19 per cent in the previous year. The company has proposed a final dividend of 11 fen per share, against 14 fen a year earlier. Soho shares fell 2.94 per cent to close at HK$5.29 yesterday.


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Philippines trade deficit largest in 3 months
Year-on-year, sales declined by 4.1 percent to $4.25 billion, following a 15.1 percent fall in March.
It was the 13rd straight month of decline, driven by lower sales of articles of apparel and clothing accessories (-39.1 percent), chemicals (-9.0 percent) and machinery and transport equipment (-0.9 percent).
In contrast, exports rose for: miscellaneous manufactured articles (+50.2 percent), woodcrafts and furniture (+21.9 percent) and electronic equipments (+19.4 percent). Exports of electronic products, the country's top export revenues, also increased by 1.9 percent.
Sales fell to the US (-0.8 percent to $704.64 million), China (-15.1 percent to $416.08 million) and Hong Kong (-0.4 percent to $472.01 million).
In contrast, shipments rose to Japan (+3.2 percent to $850.72 million), Singapore (+27.3 percent to $349.47 million), the ASEAN countries (+16.7 percent to $719.28 million) and the EU countries (+3.1 percent to $535.22 million).
Imports jumped by 29.2 percent to $6.53 billion, the highest value since February, following a 11.7 percent growth in March while market expected a 20 percent gain. Purchases increased the most for metal products (+91.0 percent), industrial machinery & equipment (+73.9 percent) and telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery (+72.8 percent).
Imports also went up for: electronic products (+69.9 percent), iron and steel (+62.9 percent), miscellaneous manufactured articles (+34.2 percent), plastics in primary and non-primary forms (+31.0 percent), transport equipment (+25.4 percent) and other food and live animals (+7.5 percent).
In contrast, inbound shipment fell by 10.9 percent for mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials.
Purchases from China, the biggest source of purchases for Philippines, rose 68.8 percent year-on-year to $1.30 billion. Those from Japan also increased by 116.2 percent to $748.68 million, followed by the US (+25.9 percent to $556.93.51 million), Thailand (+63.8 percent to $485.47 million) and the ASEAN countries (+17.3 percent to $1.67 billion).
In contrast, inbound shipments dropped to Singapore (-1.2 percent to $430.04 million) and the EU countries (-7.0 percent to $575.79 million).
In March 2016, trade deficit was registered at $1.75 billion. ■


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Apple released another advertisement in its 'practically magic' series, focusing on the new effects that can be used with Messages. 'Balloons' begins with a single red balloon floating out the window of a house. The balloon travels across landscapes, through forests, swamps, and across a large body of water. Eventually, it's joined by a second balloon under a rusted structure.
When the camera pulls back, it becomes apparent that the balloons are in Chicago. As the camera follows the balloons, they pass by several Chicago landmarks, including an 'L' train, the Chicago Board of Trade, and finally, the Chicago River near the Wrigley Building.
The scene cuts to an office where a woman is working. Balloons begin to blow into an open window as she receives an iMessage wishing her a happy birthday, which is sent with Messages' new balloons effect, echoing the scene surrounding her. The spot ends with the camera pulling back to a wide angle view of millions of balloons rising among Chicago's skyscrapers, including the Willis (née Sears) Tower with the tag line 'expressive messages on iPhone 7.'
Previous spots have focused on iPhone 7 hardware features like its water resistance and camera. This is the first ad since iOS 10 was released that focuses solely on a new feature of iOS.


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Netflix reported its 2021 quarter-four earnings report on Thursday. Overall the company beat most expectations for Q4 2021, however, the company has predicted significantly slower growth going into the future than what was expected. As a result of this Netflix, the stock has dropped around 20%.
In the opening statement of Netflix’s shareholder letter, the company said the following:
“We achieved several milestones in 2021: we had the biggest TV show of the year (Squid Game), our two biggest film releases of all time (Red Notice and Don’t Look Up) and Netflix was the most Emmy-winning and most nominated TV network and the most Oscar-winning and nominated movie studio of 2021.”
The company also said:
“Even in a world of uncertainty and increasing competition, we’re optimistic about our long-term growth prospects as streaming supplants linear entertainment around the world. We’re continually improving Netflix so that we can please our members, grow our share of leisure time and lead in this transition.”
Some of the key information from Netflix’s Q4 2021 results includes:
In terms of membership numbers, the company reported the following:
Global Streaming Paid Memberships: 221.84 million, up 8.9% year over year. Global Streaming Paid Net Additions: 8.28 million. In terms of membership, it appears for Netflix growth in this area is slowing. Despite the company adding an additional 8.28 million global paid net subscribers in quarter four, which is above the predicted 8.19 million, it is overall much fewer subscribers than Netflix has gained in previous quarters.
Netflix has forecast paid net additions for Q1 2022 to be 2.5 million, however, analysts forecast a much higher number of 5.9 million.
As a result of the slowing growth of subscriber numbers, Netflix stock dropped around 20% in after-hours trading.
Alongside movies and shows, Netflix has also begun offering its game service, focusing on mobile games. It is yet to be seen how this will work out for Netflix as the offering is still in an early phase.
In 2021, Netflix accounted for six out of the ten most searched for shows globally, these include: Squid Game, Bridgerton, Cobra Kai, Sweet Tooth, Lupin, Ginny and Georgia. Two of the ten most searched shows belonged to Netflix, those were: Red Notice and Army of the Dead.
Netflix has also confirmed its most popular show ‘Squid Game’ will be returning for a second season.


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Transport is responsible for around a third of total CO2 emissions, so it’s little surprise that electric vehicles feature heavily in most government’s net zero emissions plans.
Switching from fossil fuel to battery-powered electric vehicles is a tangible way for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reduce their carbon footprint.
In fact, a 2020 study by three universities (Exeter, Nijmegen (Netherlands), and Cambridge) found that in 95% of the world, driving an electric car is better for the climate than a petrol one.
Therefore, if more small businesses – which employ more than 16 million people in the UK – adopt electric vehicle (EV) technology, it could have a significant positive impact for the environment, as well as contribute to companies becoming carbon neutral overall.
What’s more, the government has introduced new incentives to help SMEs manage the upfront costs, so they can reap the longer-term carbon and monetary savings.
Here’s what we cover in this article:
Subsidies and tax breaks
The initial cost of transitioning from fossil fuel to electric vehicles can be off-putting, but there are several grants and subsidies that can help your business manage the initial outlay, as well as several tax breaks that mean the technology is often more cost-effective in the long-term.
If your business is eligible, this voucher-based scheme can help with the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of EV charge points.
It’s limited to 75% for each socket, up to a maximum of £350 and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant. Vouchers can only be redeemed by approved providers.
To be eligible, your business needs to be able to show that it:
- Is a registered business or VAT registered.
- Can declare a need for electric vehicle charging equipment or an intent to encourage uptake among their staff and/or fleet.
- Has dedicated off-street parking for staff and/or fleets.
- Owns the property where the charge points will go or have consent for installation.
Grants are also available for the purchase of qualifying electric vehicles through the plug-in car grant.
Businesses and individuals can get £2,500 off the price of an EV costing no more than £35,000; this was recently cut from £3,000 off the price of an EV costing up to £50,000.
Grants of up to £3,000 for vans and £6,000 for large vans are also available.
Benefit in Kind tax breaks
Employees can make considerable saving when their employer opts to invest in low emissions vehicles.
Company vehicles that are fully electric pay benefit in kind (BIK) tax rates of only 1% in the current 2021/22 tax yeare; this will rise to 2% in 2022/23.
This offers huge savings.
For example, in the 2021/22 tax year, the BIK per year for the e-Golf is £55.20 a year, whereas a Golf GT Petrol 1.5 is £1,392.
Cars with CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km are also eligible for 100% first year capital allowances.
This means with electric cars, companies can deduct the full cost from their pre-tax profits.
They’re also exempt from the London Congestion Charge (until April 2024) and road tax, also known as Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).
It’s worth noting that despite the fact there’s no road tax to pay for electric vehicles, you still need to go to the DVLA website (or make a phone call) to tax your vehicle.
Lower running costs
Electric cars are much cheaper to run than their petrol and diesel counterparts.
The average electricity costs to power a Nissan LEAF is around 3.9p per mile, compared to an average of 9.2p per mile on a petrol or diesel Ford Fiesta.
What’s more, if companies invest in solar panels on their buildings, they can essentially charge vehicles, in part, for no extra cost and offer access to this infrastructure as a free perk to EV-owning employees.
Stockport-based schoolwear supplier One+All is doing just this. The firm offers employees free car charging, powered by installed rooftop solar panels, while they’re at work.
“We want to try and incentivize people to personally make the switch to electric vehicles, as a when they’re able to,” says Chris Rowlinson, director at One+All.
Learning by example: Moving to electric vehicle use
One+All started its decarbonisation journey three years ago and is now certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Neutral global standard.
The company was using diesel vehicles but switched to full electric and hybrid, where it was not practical for full battery power due to mileage and lack of charging infrastructure, a few years ago.
Rowlinson says the move hasn’t required the company to increase its budget per car and has, overall, provided major benefits for employees.
“There’s no reason EVs should be more expensive on a like-for-like basis, but the amount of tax paid on them is negligible, you can save literally hundreds of pounds a month,” he explains.
Similarly, York Gin, a small gin distillery based in York, has recently invested in a fleet of three – soon to be four – electric, emission-free vehicles powered by renewable energy supplied by Good Energy.
Emma Godivala, director at the company, says when they started the switch in 2018 infrastructure was less ubiquitous. But this, and the technology, has improved over the years and the costs have come down.
“However, it’s not just a straight up cost of the vehicle equation, but the cost to the planet; you’ve got to think of the full spectrum,” says Godivala.
Her advice to companies considering adopting electric vehicles is to: “Lobby local MPs to make sure the infrastructure is there, order early because there is a time delay for delivery of the technology, and remember it really works for your customers, people feel better about emissions free products and are willing to pay a bit more for them.”


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The Xcat furniture store at Crescent Link Retail Park. Xcat will leave the premises at the end of September when they will switch to an online-only business operating from their warehouse at Eglinton.
Xcat store shoppers will now have to go online for their household bargains after the furniture store announced it was closing its doors.
Trade at the Crescent Link Retail Park will continue until the end of September – however, this does not spell the end for the Xcat brand itself.
The company will continue to trade but online only which means those wanting a new sofa or bed will have to order one via the click of a button as opposed to seeing their planned purchase in person.
Like most businesses, Xcat has not been immune to the financial strain caused by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last 18 months and the management has had to reassess its trading strategy.
Store manager, Barry Temple, said: “It’s with regret that we have to notify our customers that the Crescent Link store will be closing on Thursday September 30, 2021.
“We will be focusing on continuing to sell goods online via Facebook and our website.
“Unfortunately we’ve had to move with the times and the conventional ‘bricks and mortar store front’ is not viable in the current climate.
“We hope that our great customer base will continue to support us as we move to online sales only. We will still operate from our warehouse in Eglinton and staff will be redeployed here.
“Due to events over the last year or so with the pandemic, like most businesses, we've taken a financial hit.
“With rates having to be paid for the premises we have been using, we found it was more financially viable for us to make the switch to an online-only outlet using the warehouse at Eglinton.
“Thankfully we will not be losing any jobs. We will still be operating but customers will find us online.”
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Old Navy stores will open at 4PM local time on Thanksgiving Day and will remain open until stores close on Black Friday. Enjoy huge savings such as 50% off storewide on Thanksgiving Day and on Black Friday. The discounts will continue all weekend, with 40% off the entire store on Saturday November 28, and 30% off the entire store on Sunday and Monday. If you are not a fan of crowds but still a fan of savings, check out their online deal selection, which begins at 9PM (PT) on Wednesday, November 25 through on Friday, November 27 at 9PM (PT). During this time Old Navy will be offering doorbuster items at 50% - 60% off as well as 40% off everything else. On November 28 all outerwear will be 50% off with 30% off everything else online.
According to the Old Navy press release, this year's Cyber Sunday and Monday deals will be the brand's "best to date" so if you aren't able to get all your shopping done on Black Friday be sure to check that out!
Can't wait for the savings? Old Navy's Black Friday pre-sale starts on Saturday November 21, 2015 with 50% off the entire store, but you must have your Old Navy or Gap Credit card present to participate in the pre-sale. This sale is in-stores as well as online using code "WHYWAIT" (Excludes clearance and gift cards).
Who wants to be an overnight Millionaire? For the third year in a row, Old Navy is bringing back the popular "Overnight Millionaire" giveaway. The first 50 people in line at each of the 800 U.S. Old Navy stores will receive a game card and a chance to win! The Overnight Millionaire winner will be randomly selected on November 27, 2015 at 7 p.m. ET.
Thanks for Visiting and Tell Your Friends!


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Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus addressed a convention of French youth, titled as SenseMorning organized by Danone Communities and youth organization MakeSense. French Minister of Youth and Sports were among the youth attending the convention. The goal of the meeting was to select 5 top Social Business start-ups that use technology to solve social issues selected by MakeSense's SenseCube incubator. The Social Business entrepreneurs pitched their ideas and plans in presence of Professor Yunus.
Second European Social Business Week was held in Lund and Malmö on 12–16 May, 2014. Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus participated in the week long Forum as the chief guest. Social problems in Europe and their solutions were discussed and explored by and with academics, entrepreneurs, students, NGOs and public officials during the Week. The Week was launched by the vice Chancellor of Lund University, the largest university in Sweden with 47 thousand students, in the Medicon Village of Lund University.
The topic of this year’s European Social Business Forum was “Social Business in the European Union” which aimed to foster discussions and collaborations and enabled the participants, a rich diversity of the social economy as well as entrepreneurs and students, to share ideas and experiences.
Professor Yunus opened the forum in front of an audience 500 people with his speech on “The role of social business to exit the crisis in Europe“. By means of examples of social businesses in Bangladesh and other countries, he explained the concept of social business and the effect of every individual’s creative power to society. Through presentations, panel discussions, and workshops the Forum elaborated on the relevance and implementation of social business in Sweden and the European Union.
The 15th Social Business Design Lab took place on May 03, 2014 at the Grameen Bank Auditorium, participated by 200 representative of national and international organizations.
At the 15th design lab, nineteen new social business plans were presented. These included eighteen Nobin Udyokta projects, businesses launched by young entrepreneurs who are the children of Grameen Bank families. The ones selected for presentation were Meghla Beauty Parlour by Morzina Akter Meghla; Dairy Foods, a social business to produce sweet meats employing members of the Santal community and implemented by Lustre; Lima Tailors, a social business selling different items of clothing and tailored products where the entrepreneur is the 18 year old Lima who is daughter of Grameen Bank members; Nimai handicrafts producing bamboo and cane related products made by a young man from Dalit community named Sree Nimai Chandra Roy; Faisal Fish Farm project implemented by a young entrepreneur named Faisal to produce 4 different types of fish in several ponds. Another Nobin Udyokta project is Meghna Carrom Board Factory was presented by Md. Yeasin who is a Grameen higher education loanee. Yeasin had a well developed business plan, and assembled a carrom board on the spot in front of the audience. This project got on the spot approval for funding by Grameen Trust.
The 14th Social Business Design Lab took place on 19 April 2014 at the Grameen Bank Auditorium. Over 150 participants from national and international organizations attended in the program.
The Design Lab was chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. He began by welcoming the guests including those participating via live stream.
Professor Yunus then provided a summary of the projects presented at the lab so far. Of a total of 113 projects, 97 projects approved for implementation, 36 projects are operational and 54 projects received investments, getting prepared to start the business soon.
Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus visited Taiwan from April 10 to 14, at the invitation of National Central University, Taiwan and the Rotary Club of Taiwan. A Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was ceremonially signed on 14th April, 2014 between Yunus Centre and National Central University (NCU), the prestigious 99 year old public university, in the presence of the Mayor of the County, Mr. John Chils-Yang Wu, deans, and faculty members, to create Yunus Social Business Centre (YSBC) in the NCU. The objective of the centre will be to offer courses and research facilities in social business, conduct social business design labs, conference, undertake exchange program, academic workshop, encourage and train business executives to create social businesses, promote Yunus’s vision of creating a world without poverty and unemployment. A Director has already been appointed for the Centre and the university has allocated space for it.
Professor Yunus on behalf of Yunus Centre, and Dr. Jing-Yang Jou, President of the NC University, Taiwan signed the MOU.


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REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. says that more than 1 million Xbox One consoles have been sold worldwide since their midnight launch.
The company says that surpasses first-day sales of the Xbox 360, the previous-generation model that went on sale eight years ago.
The new console was launched in 13 markets. The software giant said Friday that it sold had out at most retailers and that it is working to replenish stocks. It added that in the first day of game play, fans killed over 60 million zombies in "Dead Rising 3" and drove more than 3.6 million miles on "Forza Motorsport 5."
The sales figure matches that of Sony Corp., which said last week that more than 1 million PlayStation 4 consoles had been sold in the 24 hours since its release.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Hillier Consulting creates and launches new premium brand | 12 September 2017
Hillier Consulting today launches a new premium brand it has created for the major new equine veterinary practice, Ballinger Equine. Hillier Consulting is responsible for Ballinger Equine's launch strategy and its ongoing corporate communications, marketing, online and advertising activity.
High profile teaser campaign previews new company launch | 28 August 2017
Hillier Consulting has created a high-profile, full-page, print media teaser ad campaign heralding the launch of a major new brand later in the year. The media schedule and supporting communications strategy is shrouded in secrecy to ensure the new brand's anonymity prior to launch.


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Kendall and Kylie Jenner are opening a pop-up shop in NYC, and if Kylie’s high-demand cosmetics collection is any indication, it’ll be just as hard to get into as Kanye West’s SoHo one was.
The Jenner sisters’ shop will open during New York Fashion Week (which runs from Sept. 8 to Sept. 15) in the Meatpacking District, according to the pair’s twitter account. Styles from their Kendall + Kylie collection will be on display starting at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Samsung 837 space at 837 Washington St.
Plus, Kendall and Kylie will be at the opening to meet shoppers, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
No word yet on if the Kendall + Kylie 2016 handbag line, which Kim Kardashian promoted on Snapchat after she happened to run into the bags on display while shopping, will be featured at the shop.


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Friday’s December jobs report, showing the economy added just 74k jobs last month was itself a major disappointment. Economists had expected the economy to add around 200k jobs. Looking into the details of the report, however, reveals an even bleaker picture of the labor market. Well over half the jobs added in December, 40k, were in temporary employment.
The biggest sectors to see job growth in December were retail and wholesale trade, in addition to temporary services. Together, these sectors added over 100k jobs, meaning the rest of the economy shed jobs last month. Temporary jobs are obviously just that and don’t provide a solid economic footing for those in the field. Retail and wholesale trade, meanwhile, generally offer compensation at the low-end of the pay scale.
Because the growth in retail employment (+55k) occurred during December, the busiest time of the year for the industry, it is unlikely the sector will be able to sustain this growth in the early months of 2014.
The emerging narrative of the current 4-year old economic “recovery” is troubling. The unemployment rate ticks down, but because frustrated job-seekers are leaving the labor force. The number of adults in the labor force last month is the lowest in more than 3 decades, when Carter was in the White House. Those that do find employment, though, are finding jobs in the generally lower paid areas of the economy. That is not a recipe for anything more than flat growth in the year ahead.
Even this bleak outlook could become worse, though, if Democrats succeed in hiking the minimum, or starting, wage. The areas of the economy most vulnerable to a raise in the starting wage are the very sectors that added the most jobs last month. Raising the minimum wage effectively removes the first rungs of the job ladder.
Most of the job growth has been in lower wage occupations. Even those could be at risk in 2014.


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Grinta, a FinTech-enabled B2B digital pharmacy platform, raises $8 million in a seed funding round co-led by Raed Ventures and Nclude. The round also witnessed participation from investors Endeavor Catalyst and 500 Global.
“Since inception in 2021, Grinta has acquired two companies, PH Store, a similar digi tal platform in northern Egypt, and EME, a software development company with a solid tech team. As a result, the company has expanded aggressively across seven governorates in Egypt, with over 14,000 registered pharmacies on its platform, 20,000+ SKU’s and has delivered more than 100,000 orders over the last year,” Mohamed Azab, Co-founder and CEO of Grinta, said.
The startup will use the raised funds to scale its full-stack tech platform, grow the team, and expand growth across the Egyptian market.
Grinta was founded by Mohamed Azab, Yosra Badr, Ali Youssef, and Hamza Mohamed, to digitize the pharmaceutical supply chain by offering an easy-to-use experience, giving access to traceable pharmaceutical and medical products from multiple vendors in addition to providing fulfillment, demand planning, and inventory financing.
If you see something out of place or would like to contribute to this story, check out our Ethics and Policy section.


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- For abonnenter
Apple faces British class-action lawsuit for app store overcharging
Apple Inc. is facing a London lawsuit over claims it overcharged nearly 20 million U.K. customers for App Store purchases, yet another legal headache for the tech giant fighting lawsuits across the world.
Apple's 30% fee is "excessive" and "unlawful" the claimants said in a news release Tuesday. The claim, filed at London's


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The Gramm-Leach-Bliley privacy notices illustrate how misguided privacy regulations tend to be in the United States. Rather than provide any actual benefit to consumer privacy, they just serve to raise costs. And the costs of all of these privacy notices add up. According to a 2009 report from the FDIC, approximately 7.7 percent of U.S. households are unbanked. This means that there are approximately 122 million households in the United States with at least one bank account. In addition, the Census Bureau estimates that 1.3 billion credit cards have been issued in the United States (most people have more than one credit card). If we conservatively estimate that the cost of printing and mailing these privacy notices is approximately $0.50 a statement, this means that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley privacy notices cost financial institutions over $700 million annually. And this estimate doesn’t count the numerous privacy notices sent out by insurance companies, mortgage companies or other financial institutions that fall under the purview of Gramm-Leach-Bliley.
There is also the environmental cost of sending out these statements. The environmental calculator at PayItGreen.org provides a way to estimate the cost of paper statements. Using the numbers above, my estimate shows that if these privacy notices were eliminated, we would:
- save nearly 40 million pounds of paper
- avoid creating 442 million gallons of wastewater
- avoid using 3.1 million gallons of gasoline to mail statements
- prevent producing 171 million pounds of greenhouse gases
This is a good start, but it could go further. I have argued before that government policy should “nudge digital” to promote more-efficient choices, such as by making electronic statements the default option. The Social Security Administration recently adopted this policy when it eliminated the annual mailing of Social Security statements to all workers over the age of 25. The Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue estimated that by eliminating these statements the government would save approximately $70 million in printing and mailing costs. Instead, individuals can now access these statements online.
A better approach would be to eliminate the printed Gramm-Leach-Bliley privacy notices altogether and only require that banks send this information to customers who have a registered email address. This would be keeping in line with a general trend towards more use of online banking. A survey in 2009 by Fiserv estimated that 80 percent of households with Internet access use online banking services. Similarly a 2012 Pew Internet and American Life Project survey shows that 61 percent of adult Internet users use online banking. Most banks already offer e-statements and have implemented various incentives to get customers to adopt paperless statements, such as by waiving certain account fees or providing other bonuses. For example, Washington Mutual donated one dollar to the National Arbor Day Foundation for every customer that switched to an e-statement during its 2008 “Make a Statement, Plant A Tree” campaign. Some banks have gone the other route and have imposed a monthly fee on customers who choose to receive paper statements. Similarly, banks should be able to charge a fee to send privacy notices to customers in the mail. If a bank wants to offer the option, customers that want to receive these privacy notifications by mail should be able to choose to do so, but banks should recoup the associated cost directly from these customers.
Of course, the debate about privacy notices is ancillary to the one about how consumer financial data is actually used. Most consumers cannot opt out of having banks share their personal information with certain third-parties, such as a service provider working for the bank, affiliates of the bank (e.g. if a bank and a mortgage company are owned by the same parent company), and other companies that the bank has joint marketing agreements with. Most consumers do have the option to opt out of having their data shared by their financial institutions with other third-parties; however some states, like California, require consumers to opt in to data sharing. This means that the average consumers who have not opted-out of data sharing from their bank or credit card, and are receiving advertisements based on their financial information from a non-affiliated third-party, are effectively “paying” for the privacy of Californian residents.
These policies should not vary from state to state. Since creating a new account is a relatively rare occurrence, financial institutions should require consumers to decide whether or not they want to allow their financial information to be shared when they create an account. To that end, Congress should require all financial institutions to obtain this information for new accounts, rather than allowing each state to set its own rules. There does not need to be an “opt in” or an “opt out”—there just needs to be a mandatory choice. Financial institutions should also be allowed to offer incentives to those who opt to share their data or charge fees to those who opt not to share. This way the costs and benefits of sharing data are better aligned for all consumers.


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The Android 4.4.4 KitKat update that replaced Google’s Android 4.4.3 KitKat update at the tail end of last month is set to arrive for a number of different devices in the near future as Google and its partners work to get devices upgraded to Android 4.4.4 KitKat with its fixes for Android 4.4 KitKat problems.
In early June, Google pushed out its Android 4.4.3 KitKat update, an update designed to alleviate many of the Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems that plagued Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 owners since the update’s arrival last November. The update, which had been rumored for some time, also rolled out to a number of other devices as well including the Moto E, Moto G, Moto X, and others.
Android 4.4.3 KitKat certainly made strides but just a few days after its release, Google released another Android 4.4 KitKat update in the form of Android 4.4.4 KitKat. The Android 4.4.4 KitKat update for Nexus users and for other Android 4.4.3 users represents a small security update with a patch for an OpenSSL vulnerability. For those that did not get Android 4.4.3 KitKat though, it’s much more important, because it brings the fixes from Android 4.4.3 KitKat along with it.
In recent days, we’ve seen the Android 4.4.4 KitKat upgrade land for a handful of devices, most recently for the Moto G, Moto E and Moto X in India. Android 4.4.4 KitKat won’t be stopping there and the update is now poised to land for four more devices in the coming days as new details reveal new plans for the bug fixer.
Yesterday, we heard that the Motorola Droid MAXX Android 4.4.4 KitKat update, Motorola Droid Ultra Android 4.4.4 KitKat update and Motorola Droid Mini Android 4.4.4 KitKat update would be hitting soak testers in the near future. The updates, which were promised to arrive within three to five weeks ago three weeks ago, are now confirmed to be rolling out to those that are a part of the Motorola Feedback Network.
A change log obtained by Android Central shows that this trio of updates will deliver fixes from Android 4.4.4 KitKat but also camera enhancements, improved visual voicemail and ISIS mobile payments. They are massive updates, checking in at over 200MB in size. Unfortunately, they aren’t available to the general public just yet and it’s not clear when they will arrive.
Soak tests typically start a day or two ahead of the public release as Motorola checks for any catastrophic problems with the updates. If they perform admirably, they’ll come in waves to the public. We’ve seen soak tests take weeks in the past but given that Motorola was prepared to deliver Android 4.4.3 KitKat and delayed to push out Android 4.4.4, we get the feeling that we’ll see these updates soon.
From the look of things, there is still progress to be made. Android 4.4.4 KitKat is confirmed for several other devices including the HTC One M8 and HTC One M7. HTC hasn’t confirmed specific roll out dates but it’s clear that the updates will be pushing out in July or August ahead of the Android L release sometime later this year.
Rumors pointed to Android 4.4.3 KitKat updates for the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 LTE-A but Samsung has yet to confirm its plans for Android 4.4.3 or Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- After an early bounce, retail stocks headed lower with the rest of the market Thursday as strong morning gains from electronics retailers Best Buy, Circuit City dwindled away by the close.
The S&P Retail Index $RLX lost almost 1% to end at 419.30 -- and that on top of Wednesday's 2.3% decline.
Shares of Circuit City
Shares of Best Buy
Shares of Sears Holdings
Ahead of the bell, Sears Holdings said it had hired Craig Monaghan as chief financial officer, effective Sept. 1. Monaghan is leaving his job as CFO at AutoNation Inc.
Elsewhere, shares of Steve Madden Ltd.
Shares of K-Swiss KSWS, the athletic footwear brand, surged 16% to $27.74 after the designer turned in a 21.3% jump in second-quarter earnings. The Westlake Village, Calif.-based company said it made $20.33 million, or 58 cents a share, compared to last year's profit of $16.77 million, or 47 cents a share.


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Government announces first-ever Food Policy for Canada
On June 17, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, along with Parliamentary Secretary Jean-Claude Poissant, launched Canada’s first-ever federal Food Policy.
The policy entitled “Everyone at the Table!” is the product of consultation and collaboration with Canadians across the country. In all, more than 45,000 Canadians made their views known, including food producers and processors, experts in environment, health and food security.
Easy access to healthy food
The new Food Policy for Canada is based on a clear vision: all people in Canada should be able to access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious and culturally diverse food.
$134 million has been allocated to the policy, to be invested in four short term action areas:
- helping Canadian communities access healthy food
- making Canadian food the top choice at home and abroad
- supporting food security in Northern and Indigenous communities
- reducing food waste
Food Policy of Canada initiatives of particular interest to Agropur include:
- a new Canada Brand and Buy Canadian promotional campaigns that will aim to increase pride and consumer confidence in Canadian food
- a challenge fund to support the most innovative food waste reduction ideas in food processing, grocery retail, and food service
For more information, see the government press release.


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OK, we know: Hindsight is 20/20 and mocking past predictions is cheap and easy. If we think we're so smart why don't we make some predictions of our own?
Let's indulge in some schadenfreude and review some of the goofier things people predicted for tech in 2008.
Then, below that, we'll get to some of the better calls -- some of them made by the very same people.
- Linux finally wins! From PC World:
"As Vista continues to limp toward wider adoption, Linux will make major inroads into the enterprise, as well as in government IT. At the same time, the leaner OS will become a more attractive option for home users and in consumer electronics, spurred by the Open Handset Alliance and the advent of Google's Android mobile platform, which will be built on the Linux kernel."
What actually happened: Windows, with market share just below 90%, and Mac OS X, with market share around 9.1% still utterly dominate.
- All five of CNET show Top Five's five predictions for 2008 -- that there will be a bandwidth crisis, that the PC will become passé, that Google will dominate through the 700 mhz spectrum, Android or $1,000 stock price, that Apple will opens no new lines business, and that Broadcast TV will die -- proved false.
What actually happened: Bandwidth is fine. You're reading this on a PC. Android works on one phone. Google's share price is under $300 and your mom's never heard of, but still watches all seven CSI shows on CBS.
- The Semantic Web will become more than just another way to sell conference tickets! From ReadWriteWeb:
"Semantic Apps will become popular in 2008, due to their ability to get better content results and make better data connections. Think search engines like Hakia and Powerset, wikipedia-like efforts like Twine and Freebase, and apps that use semantic technologies under the hood (such as AdaptiveBlue and Snap)."
What actually happened: No one can afford conference tickets just to hear about silly things like the Semantic Web anymore.
- The Internet defeats Chinese censorship. From InformationWeek:
"Countries will have to behave better and the fake Internet will collapse. This means that Web censorship will begin to go away. Real Net access is on the path to becoming a basic human right."
What actually happened: Following a brief respite during the Olympics, China stepped up censorship.
- AOL acts fast. From Business Week:
"Jeff Bewkes moves very quickly to remake Time Warner. In addition to previously surmised moves (Time Warner Cable (TWC) spin-off, the sale of AOL's (TWX) access business), news will surface that AOL is exploring a broad partnership and/or deal with either Microsoft (MSFT), Google (GOOG), or Yahoo! (YHOO)—and is engaging in discussions with the others despite the inherent complication that Google already owns 5% of AOL at a $20 billion valuation. And magazine unit Time Inc. slims down by selling its IPC stable of British magazines."
What actually happened: Nothing.
- Yahoo finds a new strategy. From John Battelle:
"Yahoo, meanwhile, will spend most of 2008 trying to figure out what to do with what it bought in 2007, and attempting to articulate a strategy that is anything but "we have 500 million users, so we must be important." By mid year, it will have succeeded, in part due to a clarification of its approach syndicated advertising (ie, how it will beat Google by delivering better than AdSense can to key partners). Yahoo will finally admit to itself that in the battle between Microsoft and Google, it is an increasingly minority player, and will need to bulk up to compete. By year's end, Yahoo will have combined in a major way with another third party, and it won't be either of the two aforementioned companies."
What actually happened: Yahoo went through two layoffs, a failed merger with Microsoft and a failed search deal with Google and demoted its CEO and cofounder Jerry Yang back to Chief Yahoo.
- People start to hate the Wii. From TheStreet.com:
"The mainstream media will begin to understand that the Nintendo Wii is far from the greatest thing to happen to the video-game industry, and we will see some objective articles discussing some issues I've harped on, particularly low game quality and weak sales of third-party titles. CNBC will also invite me on to discuss these issues."
What actually happened: The Wii dominated holiday console sales, again.
The best predictions:
- The shine comes off Google. From ReadWriteTalk:
"Google will really start looking vulnerable in 2008. While the 'one trick pony' comment by Steve Ballmer drew sarcastic responses, this will begin to look prophetic. While they'll maintain market share in the search industry, the lack of traction in any other of their other initiatives will start to cause frustration. Plus, they will increasingly be perceived as the 'evil' company in many of these new initiatives."
- PC World calls the Presidential winner:
"The new president might not directly affect IT, though the president's views regarding the use of technology have certainly had an effect in recent years. On that note, we'll make our boldest prediction for 2008: President Obama."
- Tech spending will slow as credit tightens. From PC Mag:
"Various market researchers have already lowered their 2008 forecasts for tech spending in the U.S. and are suggesting that any serious growth in tech will have to come from international markets. Up to now, U.S. consumer spending on tech products has proved resilient, and demand for consumer tech products will stay strong through the end of this year. That is even with economic concerns related to the mortgage crisis. But I am hearing that there is another potential crisis on the horizon related to credit-card lending.
"Banks and financial institutions have been giving out credit cards as if they were candy, and there could be a trickle-down effect from this overlending that could impact personal credit. If personal credit gets tighter, people could have trouble buying PCs, HDTVs, and so forth—items typically purchased via credit card. I am not an economist and don't even pretend to understand credit crunches, but I do know that if personal credit gets tight, consumer spending on noncritical tech-related products could be affected."
"Daily newspapers begin to redefine the word "daily." At least one U.S. newspaper in a top-100 market will stop taking "daily" literally and drop its (historically thin) Saturday print edition. Other papers in smaller markets also do so, in some cases going further by dropping print publication on another day as well."
- Web 2.0 sees a shakeout. From John Battelle:
As for the Web 2 world, we'll see a ton of venture funded companies go by the wayside. This is healthy and normal. It's been a few years since the funding wallets opened, and it's quite normal for companies that couldn't get lift off by year two or three to close their doors. We'll also see an uptick in acquisitions, as the boards of companies that that thought they were worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars decide to settle for decent returns. This will be particularly true for media and advertising related businesses, who will find home at large media companies that are traditionally not eager to pay significant premiums.
- We find we're in a massive recession. From ABC News:
"Early last year, I predicted it for late 2007. And I think we'll look back this year and see that, at least in high technology, it did indeed arrive about last September, if not even earlier. This downturn in tech is hardly unexpected: It typically comes every four years or so, and though unwelcome, usually has the beneficial effect of killing off the old and feeble companies as well as the uncompetitive new start-ups. This frees talent and money to go elsewhere usually into the creation of the next generation of hot new companies.
I've been smellingin the air here in the Valley for months now. People are tired, the money is getting distorted, and most of all, a lot of people who shouldn't have jobs are being snatched up by companies desperate for warm bodies.
I also think that the reality of this recession has been largely masked by a handful of great companies HP, a resurgent Dell, Google, Microsoft and most of all, Apple -- swimming against the trend and posting numbers that not only makes the Valley look healthier than it is, but also buoys up the entire U.S. stock market. As we'll see in a moment, that won't last much longer.
I once predicted that this recession would be deep, but short. Now I'm of a different mind: Because it has taken longer to unfold, I also think it will take longer to end. On the other hand, I also think that the larger U.S. recession, which despite recent GDP numbers, also seems under way, may not be as bad as I first thought, as the slow slide downward will help reduce the damage of the mortgage mess. So, look for a shallower recession in both the U.S. economy and in high tech, but also expect it to last into late 2009, with tech coming out of it first at midyear."
Photo: lux & pixel


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2 Flaws in the Otherwise Incredible 2023 BMW M2
The BMW 2 Series entered a new generation for the 2022 model year, and since, enthusiasts have been highly anticipating the arrival of its hottest iteration, the M2. The wait is now over. The 2023 BMW M2 will soon be hitting dealerships, subsequently thrashing back roads with aplomb. All signs point to the M2 living up to its expectations, but at least two flies are in the ointment.
How the 2023 BMW M2 stacks up
The base BMW 230i and more powerful M240i 2 Series models are no slouches offering 255 hp and 382 hp, respectively. The M2 seriously ups the ante with its turbocharged inline-six — the same engine as the M4 — cranking out 453 hp and 406 lb.-ft. of torque. Coupled with an M-tuned suspension and chassis enhancements like BMW’s Active M Differential, a standard six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, a 10-mode traction control, drift analyzer feature, and, just for good measure, some more dramatic styling. The M2 certainly raises the pulse.
The M2 will zip from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds with the six-speed manual, BMW claims, while the eight-speed M Steptronic automatic cuts that figure to 3.9 ticks. Opt for the M Driver’s Package, and the new M2 will top out at 177 mph.
The 2023 BMW M2’s weight and gauges are downsides
The 2023 M2 sports larger dimensions overall. It’s four inches longer than the previous model, and its width and wheelbase are also slightly larger. The added dimensions have forced the M2 to pack on some pounds – just under 200 lbs to be more precise. That’s no insignificant figure considering the 2022 M2 wasn’t exactly a lightweight.
Edmunds‘ review also bemoans the loss of traditional analog gauges in the new M2. The 2023 Beemer’s cabin has gone all digital with dual displays in the dash, causing the M2 to lose “one of the last vestiges of a traditional BMW.” This could seem like nitpicking, but many of BMW’s faithful following are known to bemoan the loss of traditionality.
It appears the M2 shares a flaw that can be found in almost all of BMW’s lineup of performers — lackluster steering feel. Edmunds notes the M2’s rack “doesn’t provide much feedback, and that makes it tough to gauge how much traction the front tires have.”
Still impressive performance from the 2023 M2
While some attention was given to its flaws, how does the BMW M2 perform on the road? Edmunds’ review heaps praise on the new-gen mini-M. The review notes the new 2023 BMW M2 is far more “composed” than its predecessor thanks to its adaptive suspension. It also heralds the M2’s powerplant, which is 20 hp down on the M4 but delivers serious thrills just the same. The review calls the S58 unit “a real gem,” allowing the M2 to feel “both burly and refined.”
Ultimately, Edmunds believes the 2023 M2 is likely a future classic, and it feels like a modern, street-legal Group 5 BMW 320. However, there are at least two noted flaws.
The 2023 BMW M2’s flaws are far from reason enough to dismiss the 2023 M2. The review notes the new-gen’s improved stability and increased power practically negate the M2’s flaws, and when one of the biggest complaints is the loss of analog gauges, “you know BMW has cooked up something special.”
Those interested in giving the 2023 M2 a go will soon have their chance. It’s expected to begin hitting dealerships and driveways this month.


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The Domino Effect: Customers See Delays and Higher Prices Due to Supply Chain Tension – Halifax
People like Lisa Whittingham know very well how frustrating delays can be when you just want to finish a home renovation completely.
She and her husband recently completed most of a kitchen remodel and were shopping on Monday for stools for their countertop.
But they were surprised to hear what it would take.
“Everywhere we’ve been they’ve told us we’re looking, the shortest time has probably been 16 weeks, but most places say six months, maybe,” Whittingham says.
The supply chain represents all stages of how a customer’s demand is met, from sourcing to manufacturing, distribution to delivery.
Why is everything you want out of stock or more expensive
The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced people’s mobility and purchasing habits, and some manufacturing shutdowns have had ripple effects.
Now the demand is back, but not yet the supply.
This pushes up some prices and increases pressure on the supply chain, says Ali Ülkü, director of the Sustainable Supply Chain Analysis Research Center at Dalhousie University.
“There is an increase in prices due to the scarcity or uncertainty and even the unpredictability of production capacity,” explains lkü.
Delays aside, supply shortages can result in less choice for consumers.
“You have in mind what you want it to look like and how you want it to be, and you want it to be finished,” says Whittingham. “Now it’s like I’m waiting and waiting and waiting… and I can’t always get the products I want, so that’s the other frustration. “
Don Jordan, general manager of Jordan’s Furniture in New Minas and Halifax, as well as La-Z-Boy in Halifax, said custom orders before the pandemic would take a manufacturer eight to 12 weeks.
Now it can take nine months or more, he says.
“I’ve been doing this for about 40 years, I’ve been through recessions and stuff like that, but nothing, nothing like it,” Jordan says. “In the furniture industry, there was also a strong demand for the product and household appliances. I mean, we also have people who wait nine months for special devices, so that impacts everything in our business.
The business world is known for its results, says lkü, who has been studying supply chains for 20 years.
The pandemic offers an overhaul, he says.
He says government, education and consumer decisions all need to focus on “the quadruple bottom line.”
“Consider not only the financial result,” he says, “but also the environmental result, the societal result, the cultural result. “
The labor shortage problem is compounding the pressure, forcing people like GM Don Jordan to play an even bigger role in the company.
Growing number of trucker vacancies adds to ‘huge’ supply chain pressures
“I’ve been on the (delivery) truck myself when the guys don’t show up or aren’t with us anymore, but I mean, that’s what you have to do,” he says. “We want to make sure that when customers wait as long as they are, that they aren’t disappointed about having to cancel or having a truck on the road, which we have had to do on occasion. . “
He says the majority of customers have been understanding, but some are not.
There is no clear timeline on when we can return to “better normalcy,” says Ülkü.
“It depends on the collective effort of the whole world, from developed countries to underdeveloped countries,” he said. “We cannot isolate ourselves from the pandemic and say that we will bounce back in a year or two is an open question.
“My hope is that we learn from it and start living more sustainably. “
Consumers hope for the best.
“I hope that over time it gets better,” said Whittingham. “This is my hope.”
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.


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Consumers aren’t the only ones happy that Sony has finally cut the price of their PS3 to $299/€299. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and EA Games president Frank Gibeau have nothing but praise for Sony’s late, but welcome decision to slash prices on their home console.
“It’s an old line, but it still rings true for us: ‘We make the ammunition for the hardware wars’. So the lowest priced hardware possible is a good thing for us,” says Guillemot. He’s also excited about the PS3’s more svelte design, which makes it a more appealing device for the mass market consumer. “It’s also going to be a smaller machine, and I think this will help Sony and the whole industry – because everybody will react, and so we’ll be able to see it come to the mass market.”
Gibeau is just as enthusiastic about what the price cut means to publishers like EA Games. “Getting into that price point is just going to expand the market for us, especially in Europe…And the price point will be hot,” Gibeau claims in his best Paris Hilton impersonation.
It’s a given that the bigwigs are excited for the price cuts. With its smaller price tag, the PS3 will give consumers a little extra cash in their pocket for games, which Ubisoft and EA Games are more than happy to supply.


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This is getting embarrassing – the Nexus 5 has leaked all over the place, even gone on preorder, and yet Google still hasn't officially announced it. Well, you might not be getting the official info on the Nexus 5 yet, but here's a lengthy hands-on video in case there was something about the phone that wasn’t known yet.
The About screen on the device reports it as the Nexus 5 running Android Key Lime Pie, which means it was probably running old software. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset and has around 12GB user-available storage, which means 16GB total storage.
The video shows off some of the apps – Chrome, Camera, Calendar, YouTube, Keep, Google Earth, but doesn’t, for example, show the new Hangouts that is supposed to come out soon.
Come on Google, just announce the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat already.
Yeah and the same about that 8MP camera!
Key lime pie?????????????????????????????
The battery of 2300mAh is a shame. I think the phone will flop solely due to the battery life. For a 5" phone running on 2.3 Ghz quad core CPU power guzzler, 2300 mAh will not last even 8 hours Compare it with Nexus 4, which has a smaller ...


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Vancouver‘s licensing of cannabisdispensaries is a scam; it protects producers at the expense of consumers. A license itself is essentially government permission to work. It is incompatible with a free society.
Regulators in general, and this definitely applies to Vancouver‘s regulators, are more concerned with punishing competition rather than incompetence. Regulatory rules limit what entrepreneurs can do with their own property. Regulation discourages innovation and drives up costs for both producers and consumers.
Vancouver’s regulatory framework will cause unemployment, not just for dispensary employees and entrepreneurs, but for suppliers as well. And not just cannabis farmers and extraction crews, but the third-party capital suppliers that all-in-all contribute $300 million to the local economy.
The only argument for regulation is that is protects consumers and the community. But the proliferation of Vancouver’s dispensaries is because of prohibition, resulting in a concentration of dispensaries in the Vancouver market where the Vancouver Police Department take a hands off approach compared to the RCMP in neighbouring municipalities.
Then there is regulatory capture: special interests organize better than the general public, resulting in manipulation of the law and a capturing of the regulatory agency for personal gain. There is no guarantee that Vancouver’s regulations will prevent this. In fact, they promote it by creating this legal apparatus where the remaining 16 dispensaries can be coerced to, say, sell Licensed Producer cannabis.
Vancouver’s regulations don’t even take supply into account. The regulators are more concerned about the dispensaries being near to schools and to each other. The supply question is being left to police, so the question then becomes: will Vancouver’s regulators approve of gang-related dispensaries that meet their criteria while shutting down non-profit compassion clubs that are across from schools but are clearly sourcing their medicine from non-violent, non-gang related suppliers? It seems that in a regulatory model, supply should be the first question, but Vancouver councillor Jang said the city “is staying silent” on the issue.
Vancouver’s regulatory model is clearly punishing competition, not incompetence or suppliers that may be related to gangs. They see an issue with profitable small-businesses that aren’t conforming to the arbitrary zoning requirements of the city planners. They would rather create unemployment and shut down a significant portion of the local economy to meet their “best practices.”
The “best practice” promoted by the city will limit entry, homogenize price and quality to the lowest common denominator by insulating certain dispensaries from competition that would otherwise benefit patients and consumers.
There is nothing about licensing dispensaries that improve price, quality or public health and safety. To the contrary, regulations protecting a cartel of dispensaries from free market competition only hurts consumer welfare.
The solution is not to regulate, but to cease regulating other businesses that complained about the lack of red-tape for cannabis dispensaries. It’s a fair concern, why should a barbershop pay protection money to the state and go about getting a costly license when the dispensary next door have none of those requirements?
The solution is to rely on market mechanisms for regulation. Government is inept and inefficient, it has no competition and unilaterally decides what you and I are forced to pay. Especially at a municipal level where the very idea of a property tax ensures that, even if you’ve paid off your mortgage or are a landlord, your private property will never truly be yours. A expropriating property protector is a contradiction in terms, and its regulatory apparatus should be rejected lock, stock and barrel.
Even if the regulations “work” as proposed, it should not be the role of the state to decide how entrepreneurs run their businesses. There is a place in society for regulatory oversight that ensures health, safety and consumer protection. But government action is always arbitrary. They have no market mechanism to check if their actions are beneficial for society. A voluntary licensure and certification process is the better option — private bar associations, for example. Or up until the city wrote them into law, the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries.
Regulation itself is a business that can provided by entrepreneurs, and consumers will decide which regulation business has the most credibility based on their voluntary actions.
All the city has done is create a new bureaucracy while forcibly destroying a large portion of the local economy and with the audacity to call it “best practice.”
In a free society, people shouldn’t have to get the government’s permission to go into business.


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Volkswagen recalls nearly 3million cars worldwide including 60,000 in UK over faulty gearbox and light fuses
- Some 1.6m cars and vans to be recalled worldwide over problems with a gearbox which leads to loss of power
- VW will replace hi-tech synthetic oil used in 7-speed dual-clutch gearboxes with traditional mineral oil
- 30,000 Volkswagen Tiguans are being recalled in UK due to fuse problem which causes headlights to cut out
- One of biggest recalls in VW's history
German car giant Volkswagen is to recall tens of thousands of cars in the UK – including those carrying Audi, Skoda and SEAT badges - because of problems with faulty gearboxes which cause a loss of power while driving.
Thousands more are being recalled because of fuse problems which cause lights to cut out.
It is part of a worldwide recall of more than 2.6million cars because of a variety of technical problems.
Some 30,000 of the cars being recalled in Britain, including the popular Golf model, are fitted with a 7-speed gearbox.
Some 30,000 of the cars being recalled in Britain, including the popular Golf model, are fitted with a 7-speed gearbox (file picture)
Some 1.6m cars and vans are to be recalled globally over problems with a gearbox which leads to a loss of power. VW says it will replace the hi-tech synthetic oil used in 7-speed dual-clutch gearboxes with traditional mineral oil (file picture)
It also affects cars from the wider ‘Volkswagen Group’ – including those badged as Audis, Skoda, and SEAT – which also have the same gearbox.
Some 1.6million cars and vans are to be recalled globally over problems with a gearbox which leads to a loss of power.
Volkswagen says it will replace the hi-tech synthetic oil used in seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes with traditional mineral oil.
This follows evidence that gearboxes in hot and humid areas such as in China and South-East Asia are susceptible to electrical faults in stop-start traffic.
As a result, Volkswagen issued a global voluntary recall for all cars fitted with the seven-speed drives.
In addition, 30,000 VW Tiguans are being recalled in the UK because of a problem with fuses which cause headlights to cut out (file picture)
Drivers in Australia have campaigned vociferously for some months over the problem after motorists lost power.
Volkswagen said it was not aware of cases of drivers losing power in Britain.
The company said it was seeking exact details of models affected.
In addition, 30,000 Volkswagen Tiguans are being recalled in the UK because of a problem with fuses which cause headlights to cut out.
Globally, the recall includes 800,000 Volkswagen Tiguans built between 2008 and 2011.
The company said an electrical fuse failure may cause lighting failures on several different circuits.
Around 250,000 pick-ups are also being recalled for repairs to the fuel system to prevent leaks.
The recall is one of the biggest in VW's history.
On the gearbox fault, a Volkswagen spokesman at the car giant’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Northern Germany said: 'It has been discovered that, with vehicles with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DQ200), electric malfunctions could occur in the gearbox power supply if synthetic gearbox oil is used.
‘This applies in particular if the vehicle is subject to a hot and humid climate, coupled with a high proportion of stop and go driving.’
He added: ‘Studies have established that using mineral oil will rectify this problem.
'To continue to ensure customer satisfaction among DSG [dual-clutch gearboxes], Volkswagen has decided to launch global voluntary campaign and to request all customers with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DQ200) filled with synthetic oil to visit a workshop for an oil exchange.
'The vehicle owners will be informed by Volkswagen accordingly.’
Globally, the recall includes 800,000 Volkswagen Tiguans (interior, above) built between 2008 and 2011
Some 640,000 of the cars are being recalled in China, where Volkswagen produces cars for the local market, as well as selling imports.
China is now the biggest car market in the world, an important source of demand for global carmakers looking for growth to offset declines in European car sales.
Volkswagen says it wants to double its manufacturing capacity in China to 4million cars a year by 2018, helping it to become the biggest car company in the world by sales.
However, the size of Volkswagen’s global recall is dwarfed by Toyota's recall of 10million cars in 2009 and 2010, amid accident fears over sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats.
Chas Hallett, editor in chief of consumer magazine What Car? said: ‘This is a big recall for sheer volumes of cars.
‘But recalls happen all the time in the car industry and they're always done for safety or reliability issues.'
Mr Hallett added: 'In the end, it won't harm Volkswagen and if you're an owner of one of the cars, as long as you get the work done as soon as possible, there's nothing to worry about.’
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PointsBet, a premier global online gaming operator, announced today the hiring of Canadian digital media leader Dale Fallon as Senior Director of Product. Fallon brings extensive experience to PointsBet’s distinct Canadian operation and is further evidence of the company’s commitment to launching its market-leading products and services in Canada . He joins recent key hires including Scott Vanderwel as Chief …
PointsBet, a premier global online gaming operator, announced today the hiring of Canadian digital media leader Dale Fallon as Senior Director of Product. Fallon brings extensive experience to PointsBet’s distinct Canadian operation and is further evidence of the company’s commitment to launching its market-leading products and services in Canada . He joins recent key hires including Scott Vanderwel as Chief Executive Officer for PointsBet Canada, Nic Sulsky as Chief Commercial Officer, and Chantal Cipriano as Vice President, Legal, Compliance & People.
“PointsBet Canada has the opportunity to capitalize on one of the most exciting new gaming markets in the world, and I am thrilled to have the chance to contribute to the company’s vision,” said Fallon. “With its strong in-house technology and innovative business model, PointsBet is well positioned to continue scaling as a legitimate global player. PointsBet possesses the competitive advantage of controlling their own roadmap, and as we build our distinctly Canadian operation, I look forward to using that advantage to assist in the creation of a brand and product that strongly resonates with consumers in this country.”
Fallon’s previous experience includes most recently leading Digital Products for Canada’s No. 1 sports media brand, Rogers Sportsnet. In this role he was responsible for product strategy and delivery for a suite of apps and websites, with a particular focus on NHL content.
In 2016, Fallon led the product launch for Sportsnet NOW — North America’s first mainstream sports broadcaster to go OTT (“Over-the-Top”) with a comprehensive video streaming service. Prior to that, he led product management at theScore, overseeing the early launch and growth of ScoreMobile across a variety of mobile platforms. Fallon also regularly contributes as a panelist and mentor for the Ryerson / MLSE “Future of Sport Lab.”
“As we continue to establish the PointsBet Canada brand, we will remain true to the PointsBet mandate of arming the team with best-in-class talent to ultimately realize best-in-class execution,” said Nic Sulsky , PointsBet Canada CCO . “I’ve known Dale for over 10 years and have been a fan of his work for even longer – I am very excited to finally call him a teammate as Dale joins our growing list of many talented, authentically Canadian hires and will help ensure our product represents, understands, and appropriately connects with the Canadian sports landscape and its passionate, unique fanbase.”
Fallon has a B.A. from UBC in Vancouver and is proud to have begun his career as a founding webmaster at Sympatico.ca. He, his wife and their two boys live in Toronto , where they like to cheer for their hometown Leafs, Jays, Raptors, and Reds, as well as Arsenal FC.
PointsBet is one of the fastest growing online gaming operators in the country and is rapidly expanding its U.S. footprint, currently bringing its best-in-class proprietary technology, modernized and premium brand mentality, expert trading practices, and proven growth marketing strategies to the burgeoning sports betting markets of Colorado , Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Michigan , New Jersey , and West Virginia . Originally founded in Australia , PointsBet is a cutting-edge online gaming operator that prides itself on having the quickest and most user-friendly app (iOS and Android) while also providing the best content and experience for sports bettors. PointsBet is the only U.S. sportsbook to offer PointsBetting – a unique and innovative way to bet – and has also introduced a slew of well-received, bettor-first initiatives. PointsBet offers the most markets on all major U.S. sports (NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL) and PointsBetting in the world. For more information, visit www.PointsBet.com .
Patrick Eichner , PointsBet, email@example.com
View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pointsbet-canada-adds-dale-fallon-as-senior-director-of-product-301372172.html
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Author: By Stephen Howard, Press Association
Ajinomoto Sweeteners, a leading producer of aspartame, took action after Asda
announced in 2007 that it would become the first supermarket in Britain to
remove artificial colours and flavours from its own brand labels.
In publicity for its “Good for you” range, Asda promised: “No hidden nasties –
no artificial colours or flavours, no aspartame and no hydrogenated fats”.
Ajinomoto accused Asda at the High Court in London of malicious falsehood and
said it was trying to protect the reputation of its products. The firm has a
45 per cent share of the European aspartame market.
But today Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled that the words complained of – on food
packaging and a cola drink – did not mean that aspartame was potentially
harmful or unhealthy.
He said the publicity was trying to convey the message “if you the customer
think that aspartame may be bad for you, or unpleasant to taste or consume,
then this product is for you”.
The judge said Ajinomoto had claimed that the words meant that aspartame is
either an especially or potentially harmful and unhealthy sweetener and one
which consumers concerned with their health would do well to avoid.
“The claimant claims that if such statements continue to be made by Asda, then
shoppers will be scared of buying products containing aspartame and the
claimant will lose sales.”
Mr Justice Tugendhat said the case was not just about profits and there was a
public interest involved.
“If aspartame is safe, which I have no reason to doubt, then it would be a
loss to the public, and deprive them of freedom of choice, if it were to
become stigmatised for no good reason.”
He said the adjective “nasty” could mean anything from “unpleasant” to
“dangerous” and coupling the word “Good for you” and “nasty” was inviting
approval of products which did not contain aspartame and disapproval of
those that did.
“No reasonable reader could understand the words as a statement by Asda that
all artificial colours and flavours are especially or actually harmful or
He entered judgment for Asda but it will not be enforced for three weeks to
give Ajinomoto time to consider an appeal.
In a statement, Asda welcomed the ruling and renewed a call for other
manufacturers and retailers to remove artificial additives from food and
Darren Blackhurst, Asda’s chief merchandising officer, said: “Naturally, this
is a sweet victory. We’re in the business of listening to our customers and
they’ve told us loud and clear that they don’t want unnecessary, artificial
additives in their food.
“That’s why we introduced our ‘no nasties’ guarantee to give our customers 100
per cent confidence they can buy any of our own-label food or soft drink
products knowing that they’re free from all artificial colours and flavours,
aspartame and hydrogenated vegetable oils.
“Put simply, we’ve got the cleanest own-label products in Britain and today’s
ruling means we can carry on telling our customers that.
“Now we’ve proved it can be done, there’s no excuse for other retailers and
manufacturers not to follow our lead.”
View full article here
Author: Ezine Article BoardThis author has published 5774 articles so far.


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10,000 Indiegogo supporters first to try one-dimensional, virtual mobile keyboard
TORONTO, Canada (June 18, 2013) — Whirlscape Inc., creators of Minuum, “the little keyboard for big fingers,” today released the Android beta to the nearly 10,000 supporters who funded the keyboard’s wildly successful Indiegogo campaign.
The Minuum Project campaign raised over $87,000 (USD) through the crowdfunding platform between March and April 2013, well past its initial goal of $10,000. Whirlscape promised to release the hotly anticipated Minuum beta two months after the campaign, and has delivered on that promise.
Minuum’s beta launch to its Indiegogo supporters was covered by TechCrunch, TechCrunch Japan and Mobile Syrup. Whirlscape’s technology was also highlighted in a VentureBeat article on the future of typing.
Minuum is a tiny, linear, one-dimensional touchscreen keyboard that re-imagines the standard QWERTY layout. It frees up mobile screen space while allowing fast, accurate typing. This touchscreen keyboard marks the first phase of the Minuum Project, which seeks to simplify typing on mobile devices—such as smartphones and tablets—and enable typing for wearable technology. The beta release is an important first step towards Minuum’s “type anywhere” future.
“It’s thanks to our amazing campaign supporters that we are here with our first Minuum beta,” said Will Walmsley, CEO of Whirlscape. “We’re very excited to release the Minuum keyboard to our community, who’ve been so encouraging and enthusiastic from the very start. Keeping our promise to release in June was very important to us, so the last two months have been all about working toward today.”
Due to its Indiegogo success, Whirlscape also plans to release a wearable development kit (WDK) later in 2013, empowering others to easily create custom keyboards on any variety of devices and surfaces.
“Feedback from our supporters is a crucial next step in developing Minuum,” said Walmsley. “Their experience with the beta will determine our direction as we make Minuum even better for a wider public release based on this user trial.”
Ranked by number of funders, the Minuum campaign is in Indiegogo’s top 10 of all time—and number two among all technology campaigns. Over 1.1 million people worldwide viewed Minuum’s teaser video, and the keyboard earned coverage in more than 150 media outlets, including TechCrunch, Huffington Post, and Mashable. Those who missed Minuum’s Indiegogo campaign and wish to try the keyboard’s future select beta releases can sign up to receive news about Minuum’s next phase.
Visit the Minuum website for an FAQ covering the most common questions about the Minuum keyboard project. Background information, technical details, photos, product specifications, and more details about wearable technology can be found at minuum.com/mediaroom.
Based in Toronto, Ontario, Whirlscape is a Canadian high-technology start-up with roots in human-computer interaction (HCI). Its product offerings address typing errors in widespread applications like e-mail and text messaging (SMS), initially through alternative keyboards on Android devices with planned extensibility to other platforms or OEM devices. Founded in June 2012, Whirlscape received seed funding from the University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) program and MaRS Innovation. Whirlscape is engaged in developing fully-functional Minuum keyboards for Android, incorporating touchscreen entry and motion-controlled modes. The company is also prototyping wearable typing devices to test its technology to its limits.


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It's a tough crowd at Apple Park. One of the first hot takes to fly off the grill of the New York Times after Apple's iPhone launch event this week demanded that the company stop doing product events entirely because they have become "exhausting love letters to consumerism." But is angry, embittered cynicism a more legitimate response to a product launch than any other emotional reaction?
As a company, Apple has shifted dramatically over the last eight years since the passing of Steve Jobs. Monday's "its show time" Apple News and Apple TV event was a primary example of this, being the first to focus entirely upon non-hardware product offerings while introducing a series of celebrities talking about their new projects to create content that has nothing to do with the computing technology that has always defined Apple. What's going on?
Drumming up publicity for Monday's press event, which starts at 10 a.m. Pacific, Apple is already running a purported "livestream" from the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, usually showing little more than a empty stage.
The Steve Jobs Theater — located at Apple Park in Cupertino — has picked up a 2018 "Structural Artistry" award from the U.K.-based Institute of Structural Engineers, given to buildings which have been "transformed by the vision and skill of the structural engineer into something exceptional."
Google launched its new Pixel 6 lineup on Tuesday, with its smartphone range now sporting its own Tensor processor. Here's how the search giant's latest compares against Apple's iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple has launched the latest update to the AirPods line, with the third-generation model offering Spatial Audio support alongside design refinements. Here's how the new personal audio accessories fare compared against its predecessor, the second-generation AirPods.
The drone flights around Apple Park have not stopped following opening of the campus, with the latest footage showing still-progressing landscaping, and most of the facilities very near 100 percent completion.
The latest round of drone footage shot in October of Apple Park demonstrates a fully complete visitor's center, plus the massive effort it has taken to bring the landscaping up to where it stands currently.
It cost upwards of $427.5 million to build Apple Park's main ring alone, according to a report this week which examined building permits for each of the 15 major structures at Apple's new headquarters.
Today at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m., Eastern, Apple will kick off a presentation finally taking the wraps off of its premium iPhone X with edge-to-edge OLED display, as well as new iPhone 8 models. AppleInsider is there live with full, exclusive coverage and analysis.
Tomorrow, Apple will be introducing a series of new products at its brand new Steve Jobs Theater, in the first occasion for outsiders to visit its Apple Park campus. In parallel, it appears ready to show off its $80 million visitor center, which was first detailed in the summer of 2015, nearly four years after the "Campus 2" was first announced.
Your hearing is an important sense that needs to be preserved, but the high use of earphones combined with loud volumes could cause you harm. Here's how to enable Apple's Reduce Loud Sounds feature in iOS 15.


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Maybe most recognizable for sharp, crudely drawn comics explaining dog behavior or the music industry, Web comic strip the Oatmeal has moved into the fundraising arena with a recent campaign in support of a Nikola Tesla museum in Shoreham, N.Y.
The comic's creator Matthew Inman called Tesla, the Serbian American inventor of alternating current, "the greatest geek who ever lived" in a recent strip (which, be forewarned, features the slightest bit of colorful language), and last week Inman took his interest to the next level with a campaign called, "Let's build a ... museum."
Using the online fundraising site Indiegogo, Inman is helping the Tesla Science Center raise $850,000, which New York State will match so that the nonprofit organization may purchase Tesla's Wardenclyffe laboratory for $1.7 million. Warning that another offer was already on the table to turn the land into a retail store, Inman wrote, "Internet, this is where you come in."
The Internet thus far has come through. The Indiegogo campaign earned $500,000 in just two days and more than $750,000 as of this writing.
So far the funding effort has come from more than 18,000 individual donors, and although the goal appears within reach, Inman cautioned that a lot more funding would be required to build a museum as well as purchase the land.
The cartoonist playfully solicited corporate sponsorship for the effort , which promised GE that the Internet "will love you forever" and that Tesla Motors would hereby be "permitted to do donuts in the Wardenclyffe parking lot" if it came forward with funding.
The Wardenclyffe lab was designed by New York architect Stanford White and formerly hosted a tower that Tesla built in the hopes of providing wireless energy. Tesla eventually lost funding, and the tower was destroyed in 1917. The property was eventually sold to a photo processing company. Deeply in debt, Tesla died while living in a hotel room in 1943.